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| Britain |
| Britain considers breaking EU embargo to arm Syrian rebels |
| 2013-03-13 |
| Britain said on Tuesday it could break with a European Union arms embargo on Syria to allow for arming opposition fighters as the regime of President Bashar al-Assad vowed to fight “for years.” The arms embargo is part of a package of EU sanctions on Syria that currently roll over every three months, with the last extension achieved with the agreement of all 27 EU members on March 1. Britain pushed for and won an agreement to amend the embargo to allow the supply of non-lethal equipment such as body armored vehicles to rebels, but warned that in future it might act alone. Without unanimous agreement between all EU members to either renew or amend the ban in three months’ time, the embargo becomes void. “I hope that we can persuade our European partners, if and when a further change becomes necessary, they will agree with us,” Prime Minister David Cameron told a parliamentary committee when asked whether Britain could “veto” the embargo. “But if we can’t, then it’s not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way. It’s possible,” he added. On Monday, France urged the European Union to look again at lifting the arms embargo, putting it at odds with Germany which said such a step could spread conflict in the region. French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said ending the embargo would help level the playing field in the two-year-old conflict in which 70,000 people have died. His German counterpart Guido Westerwelle said that could lead to a proliferation of weapons in the region and spark a proxy war. Fighting for years Meanwhile, Syria said it is ready to fight “for years” against rebels trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad, as the U.N. warned a generation of children risked being lost in the spiraling violence. |
| Posted by:tipper |
| #14 UK: BRITAIN SINKING WELFARE COSTS WITH UNPRODUCTIVE MUSLIMS COSTING A STAGGERING £13+ BILLION A YEAR! |
| Posted by: Paul D 2013-03-13 13:39 |
| #13 Dont UK already pay enough money to muslims with 50% of men amd 75% of women reliant on welfare benefit.Good read below- Good read |
| Posted by: Paul D 2013-03-13 13:11 |
| #12 I still maintain the Russians, whom I loathe, are actually on to something. The more I listen, the more I enjoy the tune. Let them keep grinding away whilst Israel and the rest of the world watch the monkey dance. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-03-13 11:59 |
| #11 Another sh8thole arab country w/a penchant for tinpot dictators and islamic insanity. Stay out of it methinks. Real Politik - Pay them only lip service while they bleed each other dry. Whoever wins is still a loser. |
| Posted by: Broadhead6 2013-03-13 11:57 |
| #10 Well Britain has to have somewhere to dump all those arms and APCs they aren't using. |
| Posted by: DarthVader 2013-03-13 11:52 |
| #9 The Lebanonification of Syria...couldn't happen to a nicer country. Many thanks to our Russian friends for arming Pencilneck (no sarc intended). This thing could go on for years. |
| Posted by: Ebbang Uluque6305 2013-03-13 11:23 |
| #8 Interesting part will be when the situation resolves itself and the region is awash with fresh weaponry. Indeed. I'm thinking the best outcome here is that everyone *does* fight "for years". I can't for the life of me think of anything that remotely resembles a happily ever after ending. |
| Posted by: SteveS 2013-03-13 11:10 |
| #7 Armed Syrians = good Citizens with cutlery = bad |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2013-03-13 10:13 |
| #6 Interesting part will be when the situation resolves itself and the region is awash with fresh weaponry. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2013-03-13 10:09 |
| #5 "But if we can't, then it's not out of the question we might have to do things in our own way. It's possible," he added. Raging, bloodthirsty, mounted Pikemen? |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2013-03-13 10:07 |
| #4 I don't think Costco has enough popcorn in their distribution center for what we need for this mess. My stars, the Syrian civil war has all of the makings of a crackerjack good time for arms deallers, terrorists, fanatics, and pure nutjobs. I think it's a good idea to arm them. Anything to keep them distracted and off your neck...the Brits need to talk to Ollie North about what happens to aid to terrorists when the fighting stops. |
| Posted by: Bill Clinton 2013-03-13 09:57 |
| #3 The Spanish Civil War all over again. Fiddling with embargoes that other power players ignore. Neither side is the 'good' guys. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2013-03-13 09:03 |
| #2 Isnt it dangerous to arm sunni terrorists? |
| Posted by: Snomosing Sperong5999 2013-03-13 06:39 |
| #1 Wunderbar! |
| Posted by: g(r)omgoru 2013-03-13 06:13 |